In a July 1953 photo, Walt Disney, executive C.V. Wood Jr. and Harrison "Buzz" Price, from left, look over plans for what would eventually become Disneyland. Price was an engineer turned theme-park strategist whose research led Walt Disney to locate Disney's theme parks in Anaheim and Orlando. COURTESY OF DAVID, BRET, HOLLY AND DANA PRICE

Buzz looked farther southeast inside the amoeba and found 160 sandy and porous acres filled with 4,000 orange trees and 15 homes called the "Ball Road Subdivision" in the town of Anaheim, population 14,556.

Sometime during the final days of the summer of 1953, Harrison "Buzz" Price, the pioneering consultant whose feasibility studies of amusement parks have become legendary, stuck a pin in the amoeba and presented his findings to Walt Disney.

Tuesday, Buzz Price, who died in 2010 at age 89, will be honored at Disneyland, where his name will be unveiled in a window that hangs over Main Street U.S.A.

"It was a transformational moment in Orange County's history," said David Price, 64, an architect and Buzz's other son. "Disneyland ushered in the creative economy and that changed Southern California."

•••

In his book "Walt's Revolution! By the Numbers" (published by Ripley Entertainment and now out of print), Buzz wrote that his life was changed at a party in July 1953. It was a party he didn't attend.

At that party, Disney told three architects about his idea to build a giant park (with a Main Street and four supporting areas: Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Frontierland) that would be unlike any other amusement park in the world. Disney asked the architects if they knew anyone who could help him refine his idea.

Enter Buzz, who worked for the Stanford Research Institute, an economic consulting company, in Los Angeles.

The morning after the party, Buzz got a call asking him to meet with Disney. Buzz told Disney he needed three months and $25,000, and, in return, he would tell Disney where and how to build the park. When Walt agreed, Buzz asked him if he had any place in mind.

Marty Sklar, a former Disney Imagineer, said Disney looked at Buzz and said, "That's what I hired you for."

Related Links

In a July 1953 photo, Walt Disney, executive C.V. Wood Jr. and Harrison "Buzz" Price, from left, look over plans for what would eventually become Disneyland. Price was an engineer turned theme-park strategist whose research led Walt Disney to locate Disney's theme parks in Anaheim and Orlando. COURTESY OF DAVID, BRET, HOLLY AND DANA PRICE
Research economist and theme park pioneer Harrison "Buzz" Price, left, poses with senior Disney Co. executive Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt Disney. Price is considered a crucial part of Disney theme park history. COURTESY OF DAVID, BRET, HOLLY AND DANA PRICE
Walt Disney's brother Roy O. Disney, left, and theme park pioneer Harrison "Buzz" Price look over a scale model of what would become Cal Arts in Valencia. The school was founded and created by Walt Disney in the early 1960s. The institute was started as Walt Disney's dream of an interdisciplinary "Caltech of the arts." COURTESY OF DAVID, BRET, HOLLY AND DANA PRICE
Harrison "Buzz" Price recommended Anaheim for Disneyland and Orlando for Walt Disney World. He is the inventor of the formulas used to size and locate theme parks and attractions worldwide. Courtesy of Harrison Price Family
Harrison "Buzz" Price was honored with a window on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland. Price did an economic study for Walt Disney to find the location for Disneyland. MARK EADES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Harrison "Buzz" Price was honored with a window on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland. Price did an economic study for Walt Disney to find the location for Disneyland. MARK EADES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An aerial shot shows the area in Anaheim where Disneyland was built. Courtesy: Disneyland Resort Media Relations
An aerial shot shows the area in Anaheim where Disneyland was built. Courtesy: Disneyland Resort Media Relations
Disneyland's Main Street being constructed. Courtesy: Disneyland Resort Media Relations
Walt Disney at Frontierland. Courtesy: Disneyland Resort Media Relations
Ron Dominguez's Disneyland tribute window, at upper right, says Orange Grove Property Mgt. “We'll Care For Your Property As If It Were Our Own.” Dominguez began his career at Disneyland in 1955 as a ticket taker, but his relationship with Disney started before that. His family was one of the original owners of the Anaheim orange groves that Walt Disney purchased for his park, and Dominguez's boyhood home once stood where Pirates of the Caribbean is today. He moved up through the ranks to the position of executive vice president of Walt Disney Attractions before retiring in 1994. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
In 1939, animator Blaine Gibson joined the Walt Disney Studios. Classic Disney films such as "Fantasia," "Bambi," "Alice in Wonderland" "Peter Pan," "Sleeping Beauty" and "101 Dalmatians" are listed among Gibson's animation credits. The Partners statue in Disneyland's Central Hub, which features a life-size bronze of Walt Disney standing with Mickey Mouse, was sculpted by Disney legend Blaine Gibson. He is honored with a tribute window along Main Street, USA. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A tribute window at Disneyland honors Herbert Ryman, a Disney Studios art director who drew the first sketch of Disneyland; John Hench, who worked on the design of Tomorrowland, the Snow White Grotto, the Monorail and other creations; and Peter Ellenshaw, an Academy Award-winning art director and special effects designer who worked on 34 Disney features. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Minnie Mouse hangs out near the window, at right, where a dedication ceremony for famed Disney research economist Harrison "Buzz" Price will be held on April 9. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
In 2004, actor Fess Parker, known to baby-boomers as legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett, received a tribute window, located above him in this photo. The window is in Frontierland. The tradition of honoring people with a personalized decorative window was started on Main Street, USA by Walt Disney. H. LORREN AU JR., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Marty Sklar, a longtime creative head of Walt Disney Imagineering, retired on Disneyland's 54th birthday in 2009, after working for Disney for 54 years. He received a tribute window named in his honor on July 17, 2009. MARK EADES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.